On the buses

Songtaew (Lit: 2 rows): These are in abundance in the city, They are basically pickup trucks with two rows of seats in the back. They come in various colours depending on their destinations and can be hailed down pretty much anywhere, They are cheap and can also be chartered if nrrdrd but you might have to ask around to get a charter.

Mini-buses: There are a few mini-bus stations around the city each serving different destinations. Usually there is a regular half-hourly service to various cities in Southern Thailand. Fares are reasonable, but be warned that some of the drivers seem to think they are practicing for the Formula One season.

Non air-con buses: These run to various destinations in the region and are cheap. They do though get hot and some of them take the 'long' way to their destinations going through all the villages on the way. You can catch these buses at the main bus station on Karom Road and at bus stops along the route.

Air-con buses: These are obviously cooler and more comfortable making them a little more expensive than their non air-con cousins. They do also tend to take a more direct route making the journeys shorter. They run to all cities in South Thailand. You can catch these buses at the main bus station on Karom Road and at some bus stops along the route.

Nakhonsrithammarat - Bangkok: There are a lot of these very comfortable coaches running up to Bangkok each day. Most leave early evening and arrive in Bangkok (Southern Bus Station) early the following morning. Fares are around B750 for a one way trip. You have to get these buses at the main bus station on Karom Road and tickets have to be bought in advance. They are for sale at various offices in the centre and also at the bus station.

Have you ever been in a Songtaew? They are just lethal...

Snowflake wrote:Have you ever been in a Songtaew? They are just lethal...

Watch them every day doing their best to try to kill my students!

I wonder if there are any numbers on how many people gets killed by these accidents on wheels every year, and how many of the drivers that are sentenced to a term in jail for causing accidents.

Snowflake wrote:I wonder if there are any numbers on how many people gets killed by these accidents on wheels every year, and how many of the drivers that are sentenced to a term in jail for causing accidents.

Very high no doubt! But ignored by the authorities, to unpleasant so better to stick your head in the sand and wait for the problem to go away!

So, Sean,,,,

Where can one find statistics over this??? any clue???

Would be fun to look it up and post it up so everyone can see...

No idea where to get them but would love to see them as well!

Actually, Malaysia has a higher proportion of deaths per 100,000 than Thailand. You wouldn't think so but ......

Anyway, have a look HERE

That was a bit interesting, I wonder what the dark numbers look like!

The big interstate buses are bad too. We took one from Bankok to Krabi when we first got here .... not get on one of those again.

a bus to bangkok starts from around 500 baht and goes upto about 800 baht

a vip bus to Phuket takes 7 hours but only costs 300 baht